Target locating device



Feb. s, 1945. Q.A. VIELEHR mL 2,368,691

TARGE'I LOCATING DEVICE Filed Nov. 7, 1941 INVENTORS, O A.Vl ELJEHR, C.G. UMSTED,

" A. P. G OOD;

Patented Feb. 6, 1945 UNI'IED YSTATE'.

PATENT OF ICE TARGETLOCA TI1SIG nEvrcn Oscar A. Vielehr, New York, Carleton G. Un'1sted Northport, and Albert P. Good, Elmhurst, N. Y. asslgnors to Sperr? Gyroscope Company, Inc.,

- Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporaflon o! New York I Application November 7, 1941, Seplal N0. 418,114 y 7 Clalms.

'I'he present Invention Is related the aft, coucernlng target locators for target sighting and/or tracking devices, such as anti-.aircraft gun d1- rectors.' When lt Is desired to flrst'traih a sighting device, such as an antl-aircrafj; gun dlrector, a searchlight, soundlocator, etc. at a. distant target, II: is often difllcult; to pick up the target Inltially In orde'r to be able t'q track with the target..

The present Invention is directezi.pw.rds 1mproved -means tor inltlally directIng a, sightlng' device upon a target. For this purpo se two remute observation posts aie used, which transmlt to the sighting position, as by means o1 teleplaone, the observed slant planes 015 an approaching target taken with respect 150 the indlvidual 0bse1'V8.-

. tion 'pcsts. sind the sight position. Manns are provided at the sighting position for obtain1ng the orientation of the target in bot.h azlmuth and elevation from the slant plane data tiansmltted from the observation posts andfromtheknown a.zimuth positions o1 these pos'ts und for' simply A2 to the i:llrebtor position, taken Iv1th resbect this purpose 'each of the observation pos OP1 and OP: Is'provided with any suitable means for deterxninlng the Inclination cf the slant plane contalnlng the-target; T, the dir(eetor D and the lespeetive observation post:0Pr or OP2. Thus In the figure, one such slant, plane Is shown a.s having an angular incllnatlon-& 120 the horizo'ntal ancl the other as having Qnangular Incliand conveniently orientlng the aig ht deylce In accordance therewith.

Accordingly, lt Is an object'of the present' Inventjon to provide an inipmved, convenlent 'and (aasilg obera.ted device for Indicating the pqsItlbn ofatarget in space.

II: Is a'nother object o1. the pre sent InvexitIon "to provide an Improved device Ior indicating the space orlentation o1 a target from data transmit- I:ed from a palr 01 remote observation posts.

;It Is a. further object of the present Inventlon to provide an improved device Ior directlng a sightlng Instrument toward'a target which may be not yet'in the fleld of view 01 the Instrument II; Is still a Iurther object' o1 the present Invention 150 provide an Improved locating device natlon S2, l;hesen;ngles being measured In vertical planes perpendiculartd the horizontal lines joInlng the point D with thepolnts OP1 and OP2 respectirely. 'I'heintersectIon of these two slant planes is the line DT, which is the actual, target orientation with respect I .o director D.

'Ihe target locating mechanism Is shown schematlcally In Fig. 2 andindicates DT. II; comprlses a fixed-c entgral platform I on{which Is piv- -oted, as by pivot axis 3 and brackets 5, a locator pointer I. Pointer I Is adapted 120 be Iotated In elevation In a flxed plane from the elevatlon control 015 the anti-aircraft gun direetoras by "meansbf a shafl; 9 c0nnected tol the director ele- II, shaft I5 and bevel gear I1 act1iatlng another vation Control, and aetuating helical gea.rs II and bevel gear I9 fixed 1:0 the pivotal axis 01" pointer 'I. Platform I supportin the pointer I Is fastened to the casi1ig cf the Instrument.

Surrounding platform I Is a. central azlmuth -dial 2I which is adapted to be r'otated from the azimuth control 02 the dlrector as by a shafl. 23

connectedto the director azimuth dohtroland tor determining the orientat:lon ot a target as the intersection 015 two slant planes each contaIn-' Ing the target, the device and 'one observation post a1; whlch the sl9.nt plane Inclinat ion may be observed. y v

Other objects and advantages wIll become ap- 1 parent from the speciflcatlon, taken In connec-' I;Ion wlth the accompanyinz drawlngwhereln the Inventlon Is embodled In concrete form.

I [n the drawing, 4 FIg. 1 showsa space dlagram tot explainlng the theory 01 operatlon 01 the device. and

Flg. 2 shows a schematlc perspective representation 01 the Inventlon, especlally adapted for use with an antl-alrcrafl. gun director.

Referrlng toFig. 1, poInt D represents the positlon 02 the antl-alrcraftgun dlrector. Located around point D .and some distance therefrom are a plurality o1 observatlon posts 01 whlchtwo, namely, OP1 a,nd OP: are Illustrated In the flule. These observatlon posts have known bearinxs or azlmuthal relatiom A1 and actuating a. helical gear 25 anal a. helIcal gear 21 qonnect ed to a cylindri'cal member 29 'wh1ch carries.the azimuth dial 2I. Dial 21 may be a.

rlng surrbundlng platf0rm I, or an apertred q platform plaeed below platform I. v

Rqt atably su1 ported abo'utazimuth dIal2l; Is

anlnner rIng 3I which may be set relative to a.zI-

muth dial 2I und locked wl th respecbto dial 21 as by means of a.ny suitablia type o1 locklnig devlde Surzoundinginnerring 3I Is an outserrIn8 3i:whichla positionable withrespect I;o Inner ring 3I andmay be locked in any set position as by locking device 3'I. When locks 33 andi'l 'axe set, both rings 3I and 35 rotate together with centraldlal2l.

Inner rIng 3I cairies arotatable semI-clrcular bai1 '39 which,is symmetrlcally pivoted on' a di- Ba11 39 ls adapted to be rotated about Its pivotal axls by ameter 01 ring 3I' as at .pivots II.

means cf a control 38 operating through a wurm 43, wenn wheel I5, pinion I'I, gear sectog u, 1

cross shatt EI, zearse'ctor 53 and pinl0n "las- II.- An Indlcat or III dooperat aing with a flxed indetermined by the azimuth position o: a line between said device and said second station and the elevation of said target as measured Irom said secnd Station, and a positionable pointer supported for movement to Coln0lde with the intersection o1 the slant planes represented by said members whereby the azimuth and elevation positio'n o! said pointer corresponds to the azimuth and elevation angular position of said target.

3. Apparatus for training a sighting device upon a target comprising an azimuth dia1 rotai:izble about a central axis thereof, a flrst member having an orientable elevation axis extendihg diametrically o! said dial, means for orienting said axis of said ilrst member with respect to said dial about said central axis in accordance with the azimuth o1 a flxed remote observation post, means for positioning said flrst member about Sflid axis o! said member in accordance with the angular inclination ot the slant plane containing said deviee, said target and said post, a second member having an orientable elevatiou axis extending diametrically of said dial, means for orienting said axis of said second niember with respect i;o said dial about said central axis in accordance with the azimuth ofa second flxed remote observation post, means for positioning said second member about said axis of said second member in accordance with the angular inclination of a second slant plane contairiing said target, said device and said second post, whereby the relative positions of said members indicates the intersection 01 said two slant planes said two eleVation axes being arranged to intersect said central axis at a eommon point, a third member supported for universal movement r'elative to said flrst two members about said common polnt -to coincide with the lndicated intersection oi said slant planes, and means so positioning said third member and adapted to train elevate said sighting device upon said target.

4. In apparatus for trainin; a target-sighting device in elevation and azimuth, a target locator comprising an azimuth plati'orm representing an azimuth plane, a pair 01 members each havins an orientable elevation axis independently rotatable about a central axisnormal to said platform and each o! said elevation axes for orienting said elevation axes individually according to the azimuth angular positions 01' a pair o1 spaoed remote stations, said members being independently rotatable about their respective elevation axes.

relative to said platform according to the elevation angular position of a target as measured from said remote stations, said members being constructed am! arranged to indicate by their apparent intersection a point 1ying in the intersection oi' a pair o! slant planes, each including said sighting device, said target and one o1 said remote stations, and a pointer u'niversally connected to said platform to permit relative movement of said pointer am! said platform about the polnt of intersection*of said intersecting axes to represent the ini'4'ersection of said slant' planes upon coincidence with said apparent intersection whereby the relative positions 01 said pointer and said platform correspond to the azimth and eletive elevation angles o1 a tarzet as measured froxn a pair o1 spaced remote stations, said niembers being independently adjustable about a nentral axis normal to the plane ofsaid intersecting axes for orienting each o1 said elevation axes according to the respeotive azimuth angles 01 lines connecting said sighting device und said remote stations, and a pointbr universally coupled to said members ai: the point o1 intersection 01 said intersecting eleVation axes to -represent, up-

on ooincidence with the apparent intersection of said members, a line between said sighting device and said target in a manner such that the relative positions 01 said pointer and said me mbers platform, each 01 said rings\carryinga semicircular bail whose diameter is pivotally and symmetrically mounted about a diameter 01 its rinz, means for adjusting the orientation o! each pi said diameters with respect to said plattorxn in accordance with the azimuth 01 a respective observation post, means for adjusting the inclination o1 each of said bails with respect to said plati'orm in accordance with a respective one 01 said slant planes, a 'pivo'tally mounted pointer constrained td pivot in a plane normal to the plane of said platform and positioned centrally i of said rings, means for adjusting said pointer relative to said platform according to the elevation of said device, and means for tuming said rings accorciing to the azimuth oi! said device. whereby said device will be 'trained upon said target when said pointer is directed toward the apparent intersection of said bails.

said slant planes, a pivotally mounted pointer vation orientation 01 said target relative to said 7. Apparatus for training a target sighting device upon a target whose slant planes containing the target position, the location of said device and each o! two flxed observation posts are known, comprising an azimuth platform, a ilrst ring co-planar with and rotatably mounted about said platform, a second ring co -planar with and rotatably mounted about said flrst ring am! said platform; each ot. said rings carrying a gemllrcuIar bail whose diameter is pivotally and symmetrically mounted about a diameter of its ring,

means for adiusting the orientation o! each o! said diameters with respect to said 'plati'ormin ac 'zordance with the azimuth o1 a respective obser'vatiou post, means of adjusting the inclination of each 013 said bails with respect t0 said platform in accordance with a respective one o1 constrained to pivot in a plane normal to the plane of said platform and positioned centrally 01 said rings, and means for adjusting the relative position oi. said pointer and said rings in accor dance with the azim-uth and elevation positions 01' said device, whereby said devica will be trained upon said target When said pointer is directed toward the apparent interset':tion o! said bails.

OSCAR A. VIELEHR.

ALBERT P. GOOD. 

